Jim is telling Della that they will be able to use their gifts later when their circumstances improve, because the most important part about them is that they got them for each other.
Jim and Della are very poor, but they love each other. At Christmastime, each of them makes a big sacrifice in his or her own pride in order to show the other one how much he or she cares. Through this ironic...
Jim is telling Della that they will be able to use their gifts later when their circumstances improve, because the most important part about them is that they got them for each other.
Jim and Della are very poor, but they love each other. At Christmastime, each of them makes a big sacrifice in his or her own pride in order to show the other one how much he or she cares. Through this ironic exchange, they learn that the most important thing they have is each other.
Della cuts her hair to earn enough money to buy Jim a watch chain, because she knows how much his watch means to him. It is his most prized possession. She does not mind a little temporary sacrifice to make him happy.
Jim also makes a sacrifice. He sells his watch in order to buy Della something that she will enjoy—a comb set for her hair. Della’s most prized possession is her hair. He wants to give her something to help her enjoy it.
These gifts are both a unique way of showing how much they understand each other and how much they care. Each of them is willing to give up what matters most in order to help the other. When they realize what happened, the irony sinks in, but so does doubt.
“I had my hair cut off and sold it. I couldn’t live through Christmas without giving you a gift. My hair will grow again. …. It’s Christmas, Jim. Let’s be happy. You don’t know what a nice—what a beautiful nice gift I got for you.”
Jim worries that she does not love him, and Della worries that he is angry at her for cutting her hair. When Jim tells her to put the presents away because they are “too nice to use now” he is telling her that he appreciates her sacrifice, and knows that she appreciated his. As the narrator tells us, they are being “wise” because they each gave from the heart, caring more about the person they loved than themselves.
The message O'Henry is trying to tell us is that presents given selflessly are the best kind. Basically, it is the thought that counts. If you want to take care of someone else and show how much you care, that is the wisest thing of all.
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